Turkey basketball head elected president of FIBA Europe

MUNICH, Germany

Turkish Basketball Federation President Turgay Demirel was elected Saturday as the new president of FIBA Europe, becoming the first Turk to hold the post.

Representatives of the International Basketball Federation's Europe branch casted their votes in FIBA General Assembly in Munich to elect the new president. Demirel garnered 40 of the 51 votes, defeating the other candidate, Macedonian Basketball Federation President Daniel Dimevski.

Demirel will serve a four-year term from 2014 to 2018.

"This is a great honour, and I want to thank the countries of FIBA Europe for putting their trust in me," Demirel said from Turkish Basketball Federation's Twitter account.

"I am excited to work with my colleagues throughout Europe to grow the greatest sport in the world," he said.

Turgay Demirel's professional basketball career spanned 16 years, most of which he spent with Galatasaray. He retired as Galatasaray's captain in 1988.

In 1992, he became the first elected president of the Turkish Basketball Federation, a position he has held for six terms.

He also has played an active role in the governance of European and international basketball, serving as Vice President of FIBA Europe from 2006 to 2010.

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